Chandigarh: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has abolished the post of the “advisor” to the Chandigarh Union Territory administrator, replacing it with “chief secretary.”.
The order, issued late Tuesday evening, is seen as a significant administrative development as it’s taken 40 years after the governor of Punjab took over the direct administration of the UT as the administrator on June 3, 1984. That year the central government also abolished the post of ‘chief commissioner’ in Chandigarh and made him the ‘advisor’ to the administrator.
Meanwhile, the government also increased the number of Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers in the Chandigarh UT from nine to 11. It was taken by amending the Indian Administrative Service Rules 1955.
The UT administration structure will now have the posts of chief secretary, home secretary, finance secretary, urban planning and smart city secretary, deputy commissioner, joint commissioner finance, excise commissioner, additional deputy commissioner, two secretaries, and an additional secretary.
Chief Secretary Will Report To Governor
There will be no major reshuffle after the appointment of the chief secretary in Chandigarh. If the administrative officials are to be believed, it will be similar to the post of chief secretary in other states.
Similarly, the chief secretary will be directly under the administrator (governor) and will report to him. However, this decision is sure to increase the dominance of the UT cadre.
Additional Power To Chief Secretary?
Senior journalists and political observers of the city termed the change as “historic.” “Taking over the post of chief secretary will strengthen the administrative structure of Chandigarh. This will increase transparency and accountability in the departments,” said a journalist.
“Although the officer holding the post of advisor in Chandigarh was considered the chief secretary, he was deprived of many rights. Now, like Punjab, Haryana, and other states, the chief secretary of Chandigarh will have equal rights,” he added.
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